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For the 23rd season in a row, Stanford rates as the top overall athletic program in the country. The Cardinal once again won the Learfield Directors’ Cup Division I final standings. As it has done every other time since 1993-94.

Stanford went 10-3 in football last year, chipping in a bunch of points to the school’s overall total in the Learfield Cup competition. (Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images)

Stanford finished with 1,563 points, easily fending off The Ohio State University, which accumulated 1,344 points.

The Learfield Cup awards points on each institution’s finish in up to 20 sports, 10 women’s and 10 men’s.

The Pac-12’s Stanford claimed five national championships this past season: men’s soccer, women’s volleyball, women’s swimming and diving, women’s water polo and rowing.

Stanford now has 113 NCAA team titles and a record streak of 41 years in a row with at least one national crown.

The Oklahoma team celebrates after defeating Florida in the second game of the best-of-three championship series in the NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Oklahoma won the game 5-4, and the championship. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Oklahoma defended its national championship in the most unlikely of ways Tuesday night.

The Sooners were just the No. 10 seed and lost its opening game of the NCAA tournament to North Dakota State in Norman. The odds were stacked against Oklahoma in Oklahoma City, too. In order to reach the championship series, the Sooners had to go through No. 3 Oregon and No. 5 Washington, where the top-seeded Florida Gators, and All-American pitchers Delanie Gourley and Kelly Barnhill, the 2017 U.S. Softball collegiate player of the year, were waiting.

Still, in the end, Oklahoma (61-9) not only found a way to win, but win in the most convincing fashion by sweeping the No. 1 Gators in the best-of-three championship series to repeat as national champions and claim its third in five years.

Shay Knighten continued to play the hero Tuesday night, blasting a three-run double in the second inning of Game 2 of the best-of-three series to help the Sooners to a 5-4 win. Knighten hit a three-run home run Monday night in the opening game in the bottom of the 17th inning – yes, 17 – to give Oklahoma the 7-5 win in a game that lasted over five hours.

With the 2017 season in the books, it’s never too early to start looking ahead to next season. Here are the Austin American-Statesman’s five way-too-early 2018 softball season predictions:

Oklahoma pitcher Paige Lowary (14) celebrates with catcher Lea Wodach, right, after Oklahoma defeated Florida in the second game of the best-of-three championship series in the NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Tuesday, June 6, 2017. Oklahoma won the game 5-4, and the championship. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

1. Oklahoma will three-peat: Knighten will be a junior. Pitchers Paige Lowary and Paige Parker, the 2017 Big 12 player of the year, will be seniors. As a matter of fact, head coach Patty Gasso only loses one senior from a roster that’s won back-to-back national championships. It would be hard not to pick the Sooners for a three-peat.

Florida’s Kelly Barnhill (11) pitches in the first inning of the first game of the best-of-three championship series against Oklahoma in the NCAA Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City, Monday, June 5, 2017. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

2. Oklahoma-Florida II in next year’s finals: It was clear that the best two teams reached the championship series and all signs point to a rematch in 2018. And why not? Each team has accounted for each of the last five national championships. The Gators (58-10), like Oklahoma, will return more than 80 percent of their roster in 2018, including Barnhill (26-4, 0.51 ERA, 359 Ks). Barnhill will be older and more experienced, but so will Lowary and Parker. In any regard, pitching will take you everywhere in softball and the staffs in Norman, Okla. and Gainsville, Fla. should take their teams right back to the finals next year.

Texas A&M third baseman Riley Sartain (10) fields a ground ball from Texas State’s Christiana McDowell before throwing out Bailee Carter (3) at second base during a college softball game in College Station, Texas. (Timothy Hurst/College Station Eagle via AP)

3. Texas A&M will win the SEC: The Aggies (47-13) also don’t graduate a lot of players from this year’s team that reached the WCWS for the first time since 2008. It was a short trip for A&M, which was eliminated by UCLA after being run-ruled by Florida in the opener. The SEC sent all 16 teams to the NCAA tournament and Texas A&M finished in a three-way tie for second place with Auburn and Tennessee, which the Aggies defeated in the Super Regional series to advance to Oklahoma City. Expect to see A&M back in 2018 behind the arms of rising junior Samantha Show and rising senior Trinity Harrington, along with the bats of catcher Ashley Walters and infielder Riley Sartain, who led the team in batting with a .354 batting average. The Aggies will also open a chic new 2,000 seat stadium in 2018.

Texas State pitcher Randi Rupp, a junior from Mt. Beiluve, was honored as a second-team All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association on Wednesday. CREDIT: Photo courtesy of Texas State athletics

4. Texas State will be in the Top 25 to open the season: The Bobcats (42-17) had the best season in recent history and it starts in the circle with pitcher Randi Rupp, who will play her senior season in 2018. Rupp, who is coached by former Texas great Cat Osterman, has been in the top 10 nationally for strikeouts in each of her three years and is nearing 1,000 for her career. She’s 47 shy of that milestone. Rupp will be the reason the softball world keeps its eye on the Bobcats in 2018 and she will lead Texas State to the Sun Belt title before she’s finished in San Marcos.

5. There will be another Minnesota-type snub by the selection committee: There’s no secret the power in college softball lives in three conferences – Pac-12, Southeastern and Big 12. But Big Ten member Minnesota, who finished the regular season ranked No. 1 in the National Fastpitch Coaches Association polls and ranked No. 11 in the ratings percentage index, was not given one of the 16 seeds needed to host a regional. Instead, the Golden Gophers were sent to Tuscaloosa, Ala. where they were eliminated by host Alabama, the 16th overall seed. The Crimson Tide also had a lower RPI ranking than Minnesota. It made no sense for the top-ranked team to not host a regional tournament or super regional series. This will happen again in 2018 and force the NCAA to fix how it seeds the tournament.

October 15, 2016: Full stadium during the game between Baylor University and Kansas at McLane Stadium in Waco, TX (Photo by George Walker/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Baylor dodged a bullet for several football recruiting violations, with the NCAA announcing Wednesday it was fining the university $5,000 and accepting the Bears’ self-imposed penalties.

The sexual assault scandal at the nation’s largest Baptist university is a separate matter, although the NCAA reportedly will not come down as hard on Baylor as it did on Penn State for the Nittany Lions’ child-molestation scandal in 2012.

The recruiting violations were relatively minor. An investigation found that assistant coaches, including offensive coordinator Kendal Briles, broke NCAA rules in spring 2015. Baylor was pro-active in banning two assistants from off-campus recruiting for 12 weeks and serving out game suspensions.

“It is disappointing that the university’s coaching staff was more interested in finding loopholes to exploit the rules instead of trying to follow the rules,” said Greg Christopher, chief hearing officer for the infractions panel and athletic director at Xavier. “After we reviewed facts of the case, we determined a fine plus the self-imposed recruiting penalties appropriately addressed the violations.”

Briles and assistant Tate Wallis had been advised of recruiting rules but still tried to find loopholes that would allow them more interaction with football prospects, according to the NCAA.

In one stance, the coaches attended a track meet and put themselves in position to be seen by recruits, putting them over the limit of two evaluations per prospect during the spring period. The coaches tried to get around the rule by turning their backs when a prospect they were evaluating was competing.

The athletes involved were four-star wide receivers Devin Duvernay of Sachse and Hezekiah Jones of Stafford. Duvernay signed with Baylor but transferred to Texas. Jones, in the class of 2017, pledged to Baylor but has switched to Texas A&M.

NCAA officials said a third Baylor assistant, Jeff Lebby, attended a game involving a future opponent, which amounted to prohibited off-campus scouting.

Hawaii defensive lineman Tevarua Eldridge (43) and teammates do a Hawaiian haka dance before the team’s NCAA college football game against Massachusetts on Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016, in Honolulu. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia)

Calling all smart 5-7 college football teams: A bowl game may need you.

After the long Thanksgiving weekend, 76 teams are eligible or otherwise designated to fill 80 bowl openings. Only two more teams can become eligible before the end of the regular season next Saturday night.

That means at least two teams with losing records will be invited to bowl games as “alternates” or replacement teams.

Once again the NCAA is using the Academic Progress Report to rank the losers and determine which ones will get the final few bids.

Texas is on the short list. The Longhorns, with a 971 APR, are third in the pecking order of the 5-7 teams. North Texas (984) leads the pack. Texas and Mississippi State are tied for second. The NCAA said ties are broken by the highest score in the most recent year. Mississippi State had a 970 for 2014-15; Texas a 968.

The Longhorns entered the week ranked 12th on the APR list among teams that could finish 5-7. But nine of those teams either won to finish bowl eligible at 6-6 or lost to finish 4-8, so the Horns moved way up.

It looks like Texas will fall right on the cut line.

Beyond the 74 qualified teams who are .500 or better, Army and Hawaii, a pair of six-win teams, have wrapped up spots.

Army (6-5) has two wins over FCS teams and only one is allowed toward bowl eligibility. But the NCAA said that a 6-6 Army, which plays Navy on Dec. 10, will be ranked above all teams with losing records.

Hawaii (6-7) didn’t make it to .500, but the Warriors’ 46-40 win over Massachusetts late Saturday night was their winning ticket. The NCAA said Hawaii’s six wins trump all 5-7 teams.

So that leaves four spots for these five teams:

POSSIBLE SIX-WIN TEAMS

Louisiana Lafayette (5-6) — The Rajin’ Cajuns will be bowl eligible if they win at Louisiana Monroe (4-7) next Saturday. They are probably a 60/40 shot to do that.

South Alabama (5-6) — The Jaguars will be bowl eligible if they beat New Mexico State (3-8) next Saturday at home. They will be favorites.

TOP AVAILABLE APR TEAMS

North Texas (5-7) — With the highest APR among the 5-7s, the Mean Green should be good to go.

Mississippi State (5-7) — The Bulldogs probably won themselves a bowl bid by upsetting Ole Miss in the Egg Bowl at Oxford on Saturday.

Texas (5-7) — The Longhorns need Louisiana Lafayette or South Alabama to lose. It also remains to be seen whether Texas, in the midst of a coaching change, will accept a minor bowl bid.

If Texas is extended an invitation and accepts, it likely would take the Big 12’s unfulfilled place in either the Cactus Bowl in Phoenix or Armed Forces Bowl in Fort Worth.

GLENDALE, AZ – JANUARY 11: Kenyan Drake #17 of the Alabama Crimson Tide returns a punt for a 95 yards touchdown in the fourth quarter against the Clemson Tigers during the 2016 College Football Playoff National Championship Game at University of Phoenix Stadium on January 11, 2016 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Sean M. Haffey/Getty Images)

The National Football Foundation and College Hall of Fame issued a wide-ranging news release Wednesday that highlights areas that indicate college football remains a popular and growing sport.

The 2015 season continued the increasing trend of fans watching games through means other than their television. ESPN’s streaming service saw per game increases of 54 percent in average minute impressions, 38 percent in total unique viewers and 53 percent in total minutes viewed.

CBS averaged a 3.4 rating for SEC football, making it the highest-rated regular-season college football package on any network for the seventh consecutive season. CBS also said the 116th Army-Navy game was the most-watched game in that rivalry since 1994.

FOX games were up 19 percent in rating and 15 percent in viewership, and FOX had its best ever numbers for a regular-season college game with Stanford’s win over Notre Dame on Nov. 28, which posted a 4.3 rating and 7.3 million viewers.

The SEC set an attendance record with 7,784,376 fans, leading all conferences for the 18th consecutive year with an average of 78,630 per game.

There are areas where one could take issue with this report, especially in the area of bowl “attendance,” which is often nowhere near the numbers announced.

The report says the 41 bowl games attracted 1,796,498 spectators (43,817 per contest) and that “71 percent of all all stadium seating was utilized.”

Anyone who watched the bowls would beg to differ. For many games, there is a huge discrepancy between the number of tickets sold — and/or freebies issued — and the number of bodies in the seats.

Yet there are a lot of success stories, and the bowls don’t seem to be hurt much so far, if at all, by the new College Football Playoff.

Some of the Texas bowls remain particularly strong. The AdvoCare V100 Texas Bowl in Houston drew 71,307 for LSU vs. Texas Tech, the game’s second straight sellout (Texas-Arkansas in 2014). The Valero Alamo Bowl, another consistent winner in the bowl process, pulled 64,569 in San Antonio to see TCU’s amazing comeback against Oregon. The Goodyear Cotton Bowl, a national semifinal, was sold out and then some.

TCU is favored to win every football game this season, quarterback Trevone Boykin is the Heisman Trophy favorite and the Horned Frogs are nearly a 20-point favorite to whip Texas, according to oddsmakers in Las Vegas.

The Horned Frogs are 2-1 favorites to take the Big 12 championship. Baylor is the closest competition, at 3-1 in several sports books and 5-2 in a few others.

ATLANTA, GA – DECEMBER 31: Trevone Boykin #2 of the TCU Horned Frogs celebrates after their 42 to 3 win over the Ole Miss Rebels during the Chik-fil-A Peach Bowl at Georgia Dome on December 31, 2014 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)

The over/under on TCU’s victory total is 10 and inching closer to 10.5, according to RJ Bell of pregame.com, an industry analyst in Las Vegas. Right now, if you bet the over on TCU winning 10 games, you have to pay a -140 price.

Only defending national champion Ohio State has a higher over/under win total (11) than TCU.

The Frogs also are the No. 3 national title favorite with odds of 9-1. Ohio State is about 4-1 and Alabama 8-1.

So a $100 bet on TCU would only bring back $900 if the Frogs win it all. That pales in comparison to $100 bets on, say, Florida State, Oklahoma or Texas. A $100 bet on the Seminoles at 20-1 would return $2,000. The same wager on the Sooners (40-1) would bring back $4,000 and on the Longhorns (65-1) would be worth $6,500.

TCU is about 1.5-1 (nearly even money) to make the four-team College Football Playoff.

Boykin is the 7-1 choice to cart off the Heisman Trophy, a narrow favorite over Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliot, who is 8-1. Nobody else is better than 11-1.

Boykin, the senior from Dallas, threw for 3,901 yards last season, completing 61.2 percent of his passes for 33 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He had a sky-high 145.9 QB quarterback rating. Boykin also rushed for 707 yards and eight touchdowns.

In individual games, one early line that is almost startling: TCU is a 19.5-point favorite to beat Texas on Oct. 3.

Some other TCU lines: The Horned Frogs are favored by 18 in their opener at Minnesota; by 10 at Kansas State on Oct. 10; by 20 over West Virginia on Oct. 29; by 3.5 at Oklahoma on Nov. 21 and by 6 in the season-ending showdown against Baylor on Nov. 27.

It is worth noting that professional gamblers reacted to the early lines by bringing down the numbers on TCU in five games, meaning they bet against the Frogs, while not raising their numbers in any games. So there is a bit of doubt.

The overriding theme was changes the NCAA is implementing for the 2015-16 season to increase scoring and improve the flow of the game.

To recap: An NCAA panel voted in early June to reduce the shot clock from 35 to 30 seconds. It also increased the restricted-area arc from 3 feet to 4 feet and decreased timeouts from five to four per game. Finally, the NCAA said officials will recommit to enforcing the freedom-of-movement principal.

Most coaches like the changes, with Bob Huggins being the notable exception.

Here are the coaches’ thoughts on various topics:

BILL SELF / KANSAS

(30-second clock) Without the stats to back this up, this is probably an uneducated opinion. Wisconsin runs as good offense as anybody in the country. Bo Ryan told me their average offensive possession is 21 seconds. I think most teams will adjust. I think every coach can figure that out. I don’t think 30 is huge difference. When it comes into play in the last 5 minutes of games. even if the clock was 25, they’d be milking the clock to 25 at the end of games.

ORG XMIT: KSOW102 Kansas coach Bill Self questions a foul call during the first half of an NCAA college basketball game against Long Beach State in Lawrence, Kan., Tuesday, Dec. 6, 2011. (AP Photo/Orlin Wagner)

Now freedom of movement, physicality, is a bigger deal. I have a lot of faith the game will be called the same way, allowing for freedom of movement for offensive players. I do think it’ll make for a better game a couple years from now.

(nba draft) Kelly (Oubre) has chance to go late in the lottery. Cliff (Alexander) may go late in the first, early in the second round. His workouts have gone well. Cliff can be a prototypical power forward. I always thought he was a Buck Williams type, which is huge compliment to Cliff. … I have no updates on Joel (Embiid). The concern is from the healing process. It’s not quite as far along as they’d like.
(conference record) Our league didn’t do as well in the tournament as we thought it would. But we are the best-balanced league in the country. Nobody argues that. We did not have an exceptional team last year. We had 7 or 8 teams in our league that could have beaten any 2 or 3 seed in the tourney. But we were also capable of losing to teams from leagues not quite as strong as ours. There wasn’t as much margin for error. This year we have the potential of having 2 or 3 teams in the top 10.

SCOTT DREW / BAYLOR
(asked about Rico Gathers arrest for allegedly stealing a cart full of items from a Walmart) We will let the legal action take its course. He’s in summer school, plans to try out for the USA team in the middle of summer.
(30-second clock) I love it and I think fans will really enjoy it as well. Fans like when players getting up and down the court. Thirty seconds is more than enough time to do what you need to do on the offensive end. It gives teams more time to get out on the break. … The majority felt good about the changes. They should make the game better going forward.
(team) Last year Kenny Chery and Royce O’Neal did all the little things, provided leadership, so they’ll be missed. The front line returns a lot of talented players and they had good numbers as underclassmen. The front line should be improved. Replacing the leadership and chemistry of Royce and Kenny is the big thing. But whenever you have 4 seniors, it’s a good thing.

TRAVIS FORD / OKLAHOMA STATE
The Cowboys have to replace three starters, including forwards Le’Bryan Nash and Michael Cobbins. They are hoping Chris Olivier, a transfer from Eastern Illinois, will help.

(Olivier impact) I’m very impressed with his low-post scoring. He’s very crafty around the rim. He’s someone you can throw the ball to and he’s difficult to stop around the rim.

(Nash in draft) He’s worked out for lot of different teams and played really well. We’ll see what happens Thursday night.

(rules changes) I do like going to 30, I would like going even lower. We played with a 30-second clock in some preseason tournament games and it didn’t increase scoring much at all. I favor the 30-second clock and would like to go lower, if possible. ….. I’m not excited about coaches not calling timeouts. Players will call them now.

(freedom of movement) We’ve talked about this before but it kind of went away, so we’ll see.

(full cost of scholarship) I don’t know if it’s a good that different amounts will be distributed at different schools.
(Phil Forte) He’s an experienced, all-conference player. He should be looking for greater ownership of the team, being a little more vocal. We’ll have better scoring team, even though we lose Nash. Scoring will be more balanced. It will benefit Phil’s game. There won’t be quite as much pressure on him to score big.

SHAKA SMART / TEXAS
(30-second clock) I think what it does is with 5 less seconds it gives teams 5 fewer seconds to execute in half court. If through your pressure defense in backcourt, you can make teams take time,

ORG XMIT: TXKJ143 Virginia Commonwealth head coach Shaka Smart leaves the floor after his team won Southwest regional final game against Kansas 71-61 in the NCAA college basketball tournament on Sunday, March 27, 2011, in San Antonio. (AP Photo/Michael Thomas)

you can disrupt things there. I don’t think 5 seconds will make much difference. 24 seconds, that would have done it. I’m in favor of 24. When you press and they get ball across court in 7, 8, 9 seconds, it really puts the offense under gun. I think 30 is a step in the right direction. … There’s a certain school of thought that kids aren’t good enough, talented enough, to make the right decisions in 24 seconds. But if you want to see scoring go up, pace of the game increase, that’s one way to do it.

(academic scandal) We’ve only been here two months. I’m focused on the guys we have here now. I’m looking forward.
(his arrival) The first couple months have been hectic. The best thing about it is that things that matter most have gone terrific. There’s always an aspect of change, transition that doesn’t always go as smoothly as you hoped, but the players reaction to us, the level of engagement, has been terrific. We’re fortunate taking over a group that has gone to the NCAA Tournament, experienced some success. I know one of reasons we’re here is because people wanted more. but the level of response has been terrific.
(roster) We’re learning literally every day. It’s so much different than a coach who’s been around quite some time. It’s refreshing for us. We don’t come into this thing with any preconceived notions. We’re gonna have really good depth on the perimeter. Up front we have some guys with a variety of different components of the game that they bring to the table. If we can get them working well together, we can be a good unit of bigs. The biggest challenge will be integrating, fitting everyone together.
(recruiting) There’s a lot of people to get to know, relationships to build. It takes time. We’re fortunate to be in a state where there’s very, very good coaching and great talent. Everyone around the country knows that as well. It’s as competitive an area as there is in terms of people coming in from around the country to recruit here.

BOB HUGGINS / WEST VIRGINIA
(30-second clock) I thought we had a great game. I don’t know why we’re doing what we’re doing. Watch the NBA playoffs and it comes down to throwing the ball to the best player in the world. Think about the guys you consider the greatest coaches of all tim,e and they really controlled their offense. They controlled the game with their offense. Now it’s gonna come down more and more to the most-talented teams always winning.

Who wants to watch 40 free throws per game? I don’t think there’s any question more teams will play zone. We press to speed people up. We needed to score with numbers because we weren’t a good half-court scoring team. If we do what we did last year, I don’t think (the rules changes) help us. I’m puzzled with the infatuation with cutting down the shot clock. Lower the shot clock, add more possessions, and the best players are always gonna win. More possessions benefit the better players.

TUBBY SMITH / TEXAS TECH
(rules changes) Basketball has become a world game. We’re trying to make it more similar. Thirty seconds isn’t bad. Coaches will adapt, players will adapt. For the most part, I’m in favor of them. At Texas Tech, people talked about how we try to slow the game down so we can compete with top teams. We had to play a certain way: limit possessions, work on shot selection. We’d much rather play up and down. Coach huggins, he never really coached that way. The best players are gonna win, no matter what.
(improved recruiting) T.J. Williams, Jordan Jackson and namely Devon Thomas. T.J. is a 6-6 player, athletic, long arms. We had to get better on the perimeter, replenish ourselves with guards. Devon was one of the top assist guys in junior college. Devon is small in stature but a very talented passer. Jordan is still learning the game, he didn’t play against high competition. Once he develops a good outside shot, he could be outstanding. … I think we have good front line.

STEVE PROHM / IOWA STATE

FILE – In this March 15, 2012, file photo, Murray State head coach Steve Prohm, right, pats Murray State guard Isaiah Canaan (3) on the head during the second half of an NCAA tournament second-round college basketball game in Louisville, Ky. Iowa State says it has hired Prohm as its new men’s basketball coach. Cyclones athletic director Jamie Pollard confirmed Monday, June 8, 2015, that he will replace Fred Hoiberg, who left last week after five seasons to take over the Chicago Bulls. (AP Photo/John Bazemore, File)

(rule change) no, i don’t think it’ll affect our team at all. If you watched our teams at Murray, we could get a couple shots up in 30 seconds. It will affect pace of play, quicker shots. It takes away 5 seconds each possession. We had experience with 30 seconds in the NIT tournament. Didn’t notice much difference last postseason. I think it will be good for the game.
(cyclones) Fred Hoiberg had a lot of success with these guys. The Big 12 is a tremendous conference, and I’m excited about the challenge. Our first 6 or 7 players are very, very good. We just have to develop depth.
(staff changes) T.J. Otzelberger was retained from Fred Hoiberg’s staff while William Small moved from Murray State, Prohm’s former school. Former Cyclones assistant Daniyal Robinson will return while Neill Berry has been hired as special assistant. Prahm said: From a character stand point, the guys on this staff can represent the school and the community the right way. These guys have been part of winning programs and they understand what it takes to win at Iowa State. They can get good players and have gotten ones who are in the NBA. I think we’re well rounded as a staff that can recruit all around the country.

BRUCE WEBER / KANSAS STATE
(on roster churn, dismissals) We have many new guys. We’ve had 5, 6 new players in the past. We don’t want the situation we have now. In today’s modern basketball, with kids leaving, transfers, I don’t know that you can keep the classes spaced out well. We’ll just have to mix them together and hope the ingredients come out in a positive manner. … (dismissals) We want people who want to be here and represent K-State in a positive manner. I’m not saying we’ll have more talent, but we’ll be a better team.
(rules) Everyone knew it was coming, based on media reaction. My big question is: Does it really help that much. The NIT tried it and only increased scoring 1.2 points. We’re gonna have to adjust, you don’t want so many tough shots at the end of the shot clock. I talk to my coaches about watching the NBA, the quick continuity where you get right into the possession. You will see more zone in the college game now, more soft presses to use up that time. In the NBA, compared to college, the defensive rules are so different.

LON KRUGER / OKLAHOMA
(sooners) We’ve got the personnel to play up-tempo, fast-paced style. We definitely should be able to push it. We’ll try to be aggressive and set a fast pace.
(30-second clock) I don’t think you’ll notice a big change. but in concert with other changes, it should help some.
(physicality) If we don’t get back to freedom of movement, it won’t make much difference. We tried to do it two years ago, then abandoned it altogether and didn’t even discuss it any more. I’m not sure where the disconnect was. I thought we were making some headway, but I didn’t hear it being emphasised throughout last year. I much prefer the game with freedom of movement, reduce the holding, grabbing. Scoring went back down a bit last year. We didn’t make any progress in that area. … In the NBA. they hit it out of park in 2001-02 when they totally changed the (officiating) plan. Scoring went up, appeal went up, and the NBA became much more enjoyable game for fans.
(Shaka Smart, Steve Prohm) They bring a little bit of intrigue for the rest of us. The freshness. They’re different. Coach Barnes and Hoiberg were fantastic, had great success. I think these two guys will do well also.

TRENT JOHNSON / TCU
(30-second clock) It will benefit everybody. Times have changed, everybody is playing faster. Kids want to play fast. It will improve the quality and speed of play. At TCU, what will benefit us more than anything is having better players.
(freedom of movement) I have faith it will stick.
(losing Kyan Anderson) Never heard of him, he joked. Who’s that again? It’s gonna take a team concept to replace him.
(remodeled arena) It’s scheduled to open Nov. 14. With all the rain, we’re probably a month behind schedule.

Senior second baseman Brooks Marlow became the fifth Longhorn draftee, with the Astros nabbing the Giddings ex in the 29th round. Marlow batted .251 with six homers and 24 RBIs.

Starting pitcher Parker French of Dripping Springs was a fifth-round pick of the Rockies on Tuesday.

Johnson was projected by Baseball America and others to be a third-to-fifth-round talent, so many teams may have believed he was leaning toward returning for his senior season. That remains to be seen. Johnson led the Longhorns with a .332 average and had 38 runs, five homers and 32 RBI.

Hinojosa was highly regarded coming into the season but batted just .242 with seven homers and 30 RBI.

Two Texas A&M stars, both juniors, came off the board early on day 3: third baseman Logan Taylor was chosen in the 11th round to the Seattle Mariners, and left-handed ace Matt Kent went in the 13th to the Boston Red Sox.

Taylor hit .333 with 10 home runs and 52 RBIs for an Aggies team that just missed making the College World Series. Kent was 9-1 with a 2.76 ERA and an 84-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio.

Bowie High catcher Joe Davis, expected to be a fourth- or fifth-round selection by some scouting services, was taken in the 16th round by the Tampa Bay Rays. The 6-0, 220-pound slugger is committed to play college at Houston. Davis was named a second-team All-American by perfectgame.org.

Seven former area high school players besides Marlow were picked on day three, starting with Bastrop’s Dillon Becker, a right-handed pitcher at Angelo State, chosen in the 16th round by the Mets. Becker was 8-2 with a 2.38 ERA and 60 strikeouts in 42 innings.

Two Georgetown exes were selected. Right-handed pitcher Ryan Brinley, 1-6 with a 6.43 ERA for Sam Houston, was the Angels’ 27th-round pick. Navarro JC outfielder Sam McDonnell, an Arkansas commit, went in the 36th to the Angels. McDonnell’s younger brother Jack is the starting center fielder for the Eagles’ team playing in the Class 5A state tournament this week.

Austin High ex Travis Eckert, a right-hander at Oregon State, went in the 20th round to World Series champion San Francisco. Eckert was 6-2 with a 4.08 ERA in his junior season for the Beavers.

The Astros took Oklahoma senior reliever Ralph Garza of New Braunfels in the 26th round. Garza was 2-4 with a 4.08 ERA for the Sooners.

Round Rock’s Chris Falwell, a 6-5 left-handed pitcher for Cisco JC, went to Pittsburgh in the 29th round, and Leander’s Collin Chapman, a reliever with a 4.33 ERA at Lamar, was Tampa Bay’s 33rd-round choice.

Two projectable Texas State right-handed pitchers went In the late rounds: junior Lucas Humpal (5-7, 5.28) to Cleveland in the 37th and senior Scott Grist (5-5, 5.00) to Milwaukee in the 38th.

TCU and Dallas Baptist tied a national high with five pitchers selected. Lefty Alex Young (9-2, 2.31) was the first Horned Frog off the board, in the second round to Arizona. Hard-throwing reliever Drew Smith (3-2, 3.97) was the first Patriot to go, in the third round to Detroit.

A year ago, Texas starting pitcher Parker French was drafted by the Detroit Tigers in the 19th round. He decided to come back for his senior season. Good call.

The former Dripping Springs standout turned into the Longhorns ace and was taken by the Colorado Rockies in the fifth round of the baseball draft Tuesday.

Fifth-round players earned an average contract of $325,000 last year, while 19th-rounders were lucky to get $60,000 to $70,000.

Staff Jose YauTexas longhorns Pitcher Parker French (24), during the top of the first inning on May 16, 2015 in Waco, Texas.

French was one of only three area players taken on the second of the three-day draft, which will wrap up Wednesday with rounds 11-40.

TCU center fielder Cody Jones, the Big 12 player of the year from Stony Point High School, was grabbed in the sixth round by the American League champion Kansas City Royals.

Longhorns ace Parker French improved from a 19th-round draft choice to a fifth-rounder after returning for his senior season.

Cedar Park right-handed pitcher Chris Paddack, a 6-foot-4-inch Perfect Game third-team All-American, went in the eighth round to the Miami Marlins.

Two big surprises who were not selected on day two: Texas junior outfielder Ben Johnson of Westwood, the 121st prospect in the nation by Baseball America — which is fourth-round territory — and hard-hitting Bowie catcher Joe Davis, ranked 148th overall and 15th in the state.

Right-handed pitcher Nolan Kingham of Las Vegas, the Longhorns’ top recruit, also is still on the board, a good sign for Texas.

French, a sinkerball specialist, went 5-3 with a 2.57 ERA this season and came up big on senior night against Texas Tech and again in the Big 12 Tournament opener vs. Tech.

Jones had a terrific season and will continue with a second straight trip to the College World Series. Jones led the Big 12 in batting (.371), hits (89), runs (58) and stolen bases (31).

TCU junior lefty Alex Young (9-2, 2.39) was the first Big 12 player chosen, going to the Diamondbacks at the top of the second round. Young started and pitched well in Monday night’s super regional classic against Texas A&M.

Horned Frogs lefty Tyler Alexander (6-2, 2.86) went later in Round 2 to the Tigers.

Five TCU pitchers have been drafted through 10 rounds. All-American closer Riley Ferrell (2.83, 14 saves) was grabbed by the Astros in the third, control artist Preston Morrison (11-3, 2.55) went to the Cubs in the eighth, and reliever Trey Teakell (2-1, 1.51) was nabbed by the Tigers in the ninth.

Dallas Baptist had four right-handed arms go in the first eight rounds, led by Drew Smith to the Tigers in the third.

The Braves showed great faith in Texas A&M lefty A.J. Minter, whose season was cut down by Tommy John surgery, taking him with a bonus pick after the second round.

Aggies ace Grayson Long (9-1, 2.82), a junior, went in the third to the Angels and shortstop Blake Allemand (.339, 60 runs) in the fifth to the Brewers.

Texas Tech had three pitchers drafted in Rounds 6 through 8: Corey Taylor (4-0, 0.31) by the Mets, Dominic Moreno (3.3, 1.85) by the Tigers and Matt Withrow (1-1, 3.63) by the Braves.

And so the Aggies and Horned Frogs will go to a winner-take-all game three in their NCAA super regional.

Matt Kent and Ryan Hendrix combined to hold TCU to one run a day after the Frogs put up 13 runs and 18 hits, and Texas A&M pulled out a 2-1 victory in 10 innings.

Texas A&M pitcher Matt Kent (31) leaps as he’s greeted by teammates after he was taken out of the game against TCU during the eighth inning of a super regional of the NCAA college baseball tournament in Fort Worth, Texas, Sunday, June 7, 2015. (AP Photo/Jim Cowsert)

The final game, for a trip to the College World Series, will be Monday evening at 5 or 7, depending on what other super regionals are still alive. The time will be set late Sunday night. A&M hasn’t been to the CWS since 2011; TCU was in Omaha last year.

In the 10th inning, shortstop Blake Allemand hit a sacrifice fly to score Nick Choruby for the Aggies (50-13) and end what was quite a pitchers duel.

Kent went 7 2/3 innings, allowing six hits and no runs, striking out six. Hendrix went 2 1/3, allowing one run.

The loss by the Frogs (48-13) spoiled an excellent outing by Preston Morrison, who went 9 1/3 innings and allowed seven hits and two runs.

Morrison (11-3), who struck out five, got the first out in the 10th before walking Choruby and allowing a single to No. 9 hitter Michael Barash. Allemand’s flyball to left off closer Riley Ferrell sent home Choruby.

Logan Taylor gave A&M the lead with an RBI double in the sixth. TCU drew even in the ninth on Keaton Jones’ sac fly.